While hiking to Hawk Rock today, I met a young couple sitting on the rock and enjoying the view.  I presented my usual speech about the DATC, what we do, how they could help, and added some general trail info.  While doing this, a lady and her gentleman friend arrived and overheard our conversation.  After I finished talking to the young couple, I turned my attention toward the older hikers.  I was glad they had arrived early enough to hear our conversation so I wouldn’t have to repeat it for them.  I got to talking with the lady in the older group and correctly guessed that she was section-hiking and had come in from the south at Rt. 850.  All of my other assumptions about her were incorrect.

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Earl’s handwritten trail journal has been transcribed into plain text.

in 1948 Earl Shaffer was the first person to walk the whole Appalachian Trail in a single outing.  He kept a trail journal logging his experiences as he went but his smudged writing can be difficult to read at times.  Fortunately people have transcribed his cursive handwriting into plain text which is much easier to read.  For example, the pages pictured above have been converted to the following:

they offered to feed me. Had tough time finding trail from Frosty Mt. north. Ranger showed me but still had difficulty.
Got back and I dry camped on slope of Springer Mtn. under large fallen tree. Very tired, began to rain lightly in night. I [[hunted slabs ?]] by flashlight and made shelter.
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5/ rose at dawn. [[wore ?]] poncho. Reached Springer Mtn. lookout about 7:30. one swallow of water [[end page]]

[[start page]] in canteen. About 8:30 found spring stopped and cooked cornmeal mush.
[[strikethrough]] ______________________
At shelter on Oglethorp cooked potatoes onions and bits of jerked venisons
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Next day (Tues) 6 [[/strikethrough]] about 11:00 found water and cooked oatmeal. Walked nearly ten miles before learning I was off trail (had followed orange blaze. Had to walk back hiked about 25 miles gained about 5

You can read all of Earl Shaffer’s Trail Journal on the Smithsonian’s transcription website.